Merchant of Konoha
by kyosuke-date-the soultaker
Summary: After a strange incident when he was young, involving strange devices he created, Naruto was given a chance, and upon graduation, becomes Konoha's very own Merchant. So now, he's got one thing to ask you... What're you buyin... Stranga? (Pronounced: Strange-a)


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I own Resident Evil 4. They belong to their respective owners, and I make no money from writing this.

Hello! This is my first time writing again after an incident wherein I lost all of my previous works. I have to start over on chapters to stories I have already written, but be patient, and I apologize for making you wait. However, if this goes well, I will start on the proper continuations. Again, sorry for the wait.

Standing before the Hokage, clad in bandages and not much else besides a pair of shorts, a young blonde with bright blue eyes was flanked by three ANBU, two on either side and one behind. So much protection was warrented, as the boy had just taken down 10 Genin who thought that it would a good idea to gang up on him and try to harm him. He had gotten hurt, but he had sent each and every one of them to the hospital along with him. He healed fast however, so he was already out of the hospital, standing before the Hokage to answer some questions about what had happened.

"Naruto Uzumaki, would you like to tell me how exactly it is you sent ten of my Genin to the hospital, when you yourself are still in the academy?" Spoke the Hokage, taking a draw from his pipe, blowing out a puff of tobacco smoke in the shape of a kunai. Naruto grumbled about the old man being a show off, before gulping, and looking up at the old man. "Well, Hokage-sama, I was just protecting myself. As to how I did it... Well, I'm sure your ANBU can tell you, they confiscated my equipment." The Third nodded, and the ANBU behind Naruto, wearing a bear mask, stepped forward holding a bag full of the things they'd confiscated from young Naruto.

Opening the bag, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyebrows raised up, as each item in the bag were black in color, and looked like they'd be more comforable in an adults hand, rather than the hands of a child like Naruto, whom was only eight. "What exactly are these Naruto-kun?" He asked, and the boy shrugged, "I never thought up a name for them, I mean, I just made them not to long ago. They're custom kunai launchers, with customized kunai. Each are designed to affect how the kunai are released from the chamber." Bringing one out of the devices from the bag, the Hokage looked it over, hmm'ing as he turned it every which way. "How does it work?" He asked, looking to Naruto curiously. The boy sighed, but he gulps, fidgeting a bit. "That one you have, it's meant to scatter the Kunai into sharp pieces in a spreading area infront of it. Range is 20 yards, effective range is half that. It works better the closer you are. In fact, from where you are, you could get me and the ANBU in one shot. Of course, I haven't figured out how to get the projectiles to travel fast enough to kill, but I guess in this instance such a thing is in my favor. "

Raising an eyebrow, Hiruzen shook his head, "Naruto-kun, kunai are lethal weapons already, what do you mean you could not make them go fast enough to kill?" Naruto shrugged, "Well, if they aren't thrown fast enough, then usually they can't kill. Same principal, I can't get them to exit the chamber fast enough to pierce deep enough to kill. That's why those Genin weren't dead when you found us. Same for me, the bastards stole my equipment after I shot some of them." The Hokage nodded, putting the device back into the bag. "Naruto-kun, would you be willing to market these to Konoha Shinobi?" Naruto blinked, tilting his head curiously, "Market them? Hokage-sama, if I may, why not just have me perfect them, and take the finished product for mass production? It would be well within your power to do so. No one in this village likes me much anyway."

Hiruzen sighed, reaching up to rub his temples, taking another draw from his pipe. "Because Naruto-kun, I am trying to give you a chance. A chance to be more than what you would originally be able to become. As a ninja, you will fall under my jurisdiction, but if you became something more, under my orders, only I will be able to give you commands. As it is... *sigh* I am not supposed to tell you this, but the council has plans to either keep you a Genin for life, or put you into my peer, Danzo's ROOT program." Naruto's eyes widened, and he gulped, starting to shake visibly. "I was already trying to think of something which would get you out of such a situation, but it seems that you have given it to me."

Grinning, Hiruzen chuckled as Naruto gulped again, "Naruto my boy, if you can finish these so that they are lethal by the time you graduate, I can give you a position which will keep you out of ROOT, and allow you chances to advance in rank." Naruto blinked again, seeming awed by the man's words, at his offer. Finally smiling, he nodded his head, "It will take lots more studying in seals, but I will perfect these things! When I'm done, they'll shoot so fast and hard, they'll be able to hit a Jounin, and pierce a Chunin's jacket!" He spoke, smiling to the old man. Hiruzen laughed and nodded his head, taking another draw from his pipe before reaching forward to grab the bag, tossing it to Naruto, who grabbed it, fumbling a little bit.

"You may go now Naruto-kun. I trust you to finish those before you graduate. To help, I shall have materials sent to you weekly. Now that I think about it, I should be asking how you got the materials for what you have already, but I doubt I'll like the answers, so I won't ask. Dismissed." Naruto nodded and slung the bag over his shoulder, exiting the room, and eventually the tower. He rushed back to his apartment, slamming and locking his door behind him, and dumping his inventions onto his bed, hopping up with them and leaning over the other side. He pulls up a floor board on the other side of his bed, pulling out a scroll that contained all his materials and ideas for the devices he had made. "Well, no time like the present to get started!"

It had been a couple years since Naruto had been given the challenge to perfect his inventions, and indeed he was working on it. He'd gotten quite a few of them to be lethal, but then he'd started working on other things, different inventions meant for long distance sniping. It was a long barreled device, which would propel his newer, smaller kunai over long distances while still flying straight and being lethal. He'd thought of calling it a sniper, but that just sounded silly to him, so for now it didn't have a name. As well, he'd been working on something personal for himself, as well as armor to protect against most of his inventions should they ever be stolen again. He was proud to say that he was a pretty nimble target, at least he'd hope so, and a shot to his head would be near impossible with his small stature.

After much trial and error, he'd gotten prototypes of his armor made, and wore them daily as he worked with his equipment. He didn't do it in his apartment anymore though, because one time he'd accidentally shot through the door while experimenting with his spread device, aaaand he accidentally kinda sorta shot someone who was outside the door. Turns out the person was part of a mob coming to attack him, and the sound of his device as well as the damage it did to the man, even through his thick wooden door, had made them scatter after the man fell. After that, he got permission from the Hokage to use the training grounds, as long as no one was using them at the same time he was.

Currently, he was sitting in his seat in the academy, listening to his teacher Iruka prattle on in their history lesson, while he was idly fiddling with a design for a device of his which would fire kunai which could pierce his special armor. So far, he had the idea to put a little spin on the kunai his devices fired out. He'd tried something similar a while ago, but the kunai couldn't seem to handle it, so now he was thinking of strengthening the kunai, and molding them a bit so they spiraled, and so the bottom part would fit the barrel of the device. Of course, then he had to figure out how to make it so that they still flew straight, and didn't just flop out of the barrel at high speeds. That one time was embarrassing, and he'd scrapped the device right after.

During lunch that same day, he unsealed his special weapon, a heavy bow, and a quiver of self replacement arrows, designed to transfer back to his quiver a few seconds after impact with something, via special seals. Quickly putting on his special glove so that he didn't cut up his fingers, he went behind the school building to where some practice dummies were set up. Pulling one of his special arrows, which was really just a heavily modified kunai, he notched it, and pulled it back on his bow, muscles straining, pulling the string back to just before his ear. With a release of his breath, he let the arrow fly, watching with satisfaction as it sunk into the middle dummy, and then through it to hit the tree behind it. He face palmed, sweatdropping and holding up his quiver as the arrow reappeared in it after three seconds. "I guess these arrows should only be used for piercing. Hm, maybe I should make myself a different weapon..." He speaks, voice quiet as he was talking to himself.

Then he heard footsteps, looking behind him to see none other than Sasuke Uchiha, giving his usual, and quite frankly normal, glare towards him. The boy had been doing it so much it was just accepted that he had trouble giving other looks. Of course, Naruto knew better, and gave a small nod towards the other boy. "Playing with your toys again Uzumaki?" Naruto shrugged, holding up his bow, before looking to Sasuke and tossing it to him. The dark haired boy fumbled a bit with it, seeming genuinly surprised, but finally got a hold of the bow, seeming to have only a bit of trouble with the weight of it. When Naruto came and put the quiver over him, he seemed to struggle not to fall over. "It's yours, I'm gonna be making myself a different one. This time it's on the house, but when you need me to ease up on the bow strength, it'll cost ya."

Naruto just walked away after that, leaving Sasuke to the mercy of his fangirls, who had stayed hidden while to two had talked. They didn't fear Naruto, but like Sasuke, they admired him, they just weren't his fans. They always got it in their heads that Naruto and Sasuke had something between them, and so they hid so they might catch sight of such a thing. It never happened though, but they kept hope. For now, Sasuke was silently cursing and thanking Naruto. Cursing him for leaving him to his fangirls, and thanking him for the weapon, though said thing was part of the reason he was cursing him. The thing was so damn heavy!

A giggle could be heard from a ways away, coming from one Hinata Hyuuga, as she'd witnessed the whole thing, and cast her own gaze upon Naruto as he walked away. Naruto was definitely the one for her, she knew it, though for necessity sake, she'd share with her sister if she had to. She wanted Naruto, but she was loathe to let her little sister fall into the clutches of her clans elder council. Well, she would think of something, she was sure she would, after all; She had all the confidence she needed, and it was all thanks to Naruto always being nice to her, and encouraging her. She cared about him, so his imput was much more important than her fathers, and it helped that in a way, her mother had never left her. Some times, she could even swear she could hear her moms voice in her thoughts, ever since she picked up the woman's pendant after her death.

Anyway, Naruto was heading back to class after giving Sasuke his old bow, already thinking in his head on how to further perfect his devices, his precious inventions. Of course, he was also thinking on if he should be working on himself, since he was feeling a little slow lately. Then it came to him, "Ah, I should start wearing weights... Hm, I wonder if Jii-san can suggest some for me..." He wonders, looking up, and then nodding his head, opening the door to the classroom and going back to his seat, resolving to ask the Hokage after school if he could suggest any good weights.

As it turned out, the Third did know of some good weights, the only problem being that they had belonged to one of his students' students' students friends, and he'd no idea where they were. They were a pair of shin guards and wrist guards, and they'd apparently been lost in training area 44, somewhere that he couldn't, or more precicely, wouldn't, give Naruto permission to go without the permission from another, one who practically lived in training area 44's tower. That just made Naruto huff, and he asked who the person was, "Well, who is this person Hokage-sama?" He asked, seeming quite impatient. Hiruzen only chuckled softly, since Naruto only called him by title when he was in his office.

"Well, Naruto-kun, she's a really... unique person. Her name is Anko Mitarashi, but I wouldn't recommend visiting her unless you absolutely have to. She usually hangs out at the dango stand a few blocks away from that ramen stand you like." Naruto thought about it for a bit, but those weights were a good chance, to good to pass up if the Hokage was suggesting them. He nodded his head and promptly turned to run out. "Naruto." Spoke the Hokage, making the blonde boy stop and turn on a dime to look at the old Kage. "How goes your progress on your inventions?" He asks, and Naruto smiles, "It goes good! I should be able to perfect them really soon! Why else do you think I'd be worrying about something other than my inventions or my studies?" With that, he simply turned and ran out the door, a smile on his face as he exited the tower, heading right for the dango stand.

It took him a while, letting him know he'd have to work on his speed as well, but eventually he finally did get to dango stand without a problem. Of course, it was only then that he'd realized he hadn't asked the Hokage what the woman he was looking for looked like. Huffing, he didn't let it get the better of him, walking into the establishment, and surprisingly, not getting immediately kicked out by the owner. Well, that was nice, but he was here for business! He walks up to the counter, "Excuse me." he spoke, trying to garner the attention of the man at the counter reading a magazine. The man raised an eyebrow and looked to him, "Well, if it isn't you. Something I can help you with squirt?" The man's words surprised Naruto with their complete lack of malice. However, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Y-yes. Two things really, one, may I have a number 3 special?"

The man nodded and rang Naruto up for his order, receiving the correct amount of money for what he ordered, and getting a bit of change back. "And the other thing?" He asked, making Naruto smile a little, "Yes. Where might I find one Anko Mitarashi?" The man blinked, and Naruto noticed that the entire stand had gone silent except for the cooking going on in the back. He blinked, and looked up at the man, before a voice called out to him. "Takes a lot of balls to seek me out little boy. What exactly gave you the pair required to do so?"

It was a female voice, and when Naruto turned around, he was met with the sight of a purple haired woman, her hair up in a strange fashion. She had likewise colored eyes, and was wearing quite the provocative outfit, making Naruto blush at her appearance, which made the woman smirk. "You're Anko Mitarashi?" He asked, feeling a little nervous, the woman only smirking a bit more. "And if I am?" Naruto gulped, and gave a little bow, "I'd like your permission to enter training area 44!" He spoke, voice a little louder than he had meant it to be. Anko blinked, giving a little growl, "Why the hell should I?!" She asked, being a little defensive, making Naruto shiver a bit. "N-No, it's just, I heard there were some weights in there that were lost by someone, and I had the weights suggested to me if I could find a way to get them."

Anko sighed, reaching up to take a bite of a dango stick that was in her hand. "Kid, are you aware you're asking permission to enter the most dangerous training area in the entire village?" She asked, grabbing the kids wrist and tugging him over to her table. "I... I hadn't known, but I do now, so I know to bring some extra protection!" He spoke, sounding brave, just as his order was brought to him by a young woman in a red kimono. Naruto gave a polite nod of his head, smiling towards the waitress, before looking to Anko, picking up one of his dango sticks, biting into one of the dango balls and blinking at it. "O-oh my... This is delicious!" He cried, thoroughly surprised, eyes wide, before digging into his food. Anko grinned, giving a little smirk and watching Naruto devour his entire plate of food.

"Okay. Someone who loves dango so much can't possibly be that bad. Of course, I'll be watching you, so if you do anything other than search for whatever it is you're looking for, I'll know, and you won't like what I do afterwards." Naruto smiled and nodded happily, taking some money from his pocket and putting it on the table. "Thank you! I'll start my search first thing tomorrow! The academy goes on vacation in a couple days anyway." He began to walk out of the room, when Anko pointed something out. "Kid, you put quite a bit of money on the table here." She spoke, raising an eyebrow, and Naruto blushed a little, "Well, I thought, you know, since you're letting me into training area 44, I might as well pay for you as well, plus a tip for our waiters."

Snickering, Anko waved the kid off, smirking again as he ran off. "Well, he seems interesting. Let's see what the old man sees in him."

And done! Sorry the chapter is so short, but it's the first I've written in a few years, actually. I'm not dead, and I'm not giving up on my stories, and infact I'm just starting to get back into writing after losing my writeres soul completely due to theft of aaaaall my previous works. I'll continue now though, so don't worry. Give me some suggestions for which story you want me to update next, yeah?


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